


Pros and Cons

by Puffin (LaFilledelaNeige)



Series: See Rupert Slither [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Animation, Comics, First Meetings, Gabriel's coercion, Rupert the Snake - Freeform, tattooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 10:26:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1017490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaFilledelaNeige/pseuds/Puffin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Those posed him with three issues: 1) he was unaware of how Mr. Winchester may have detected his sexuality, 2) he had little to no skill with the dating culture, and 3) he had to analyze the decision and his consequences thoroughly to be able to select the appropriate course of action.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pros and Cons

**Author's Note:**

> This is the meeting from Castiel's point of view!  
> Have fun!

It was one of those cliché afternoons where the rain was pounding heavily on the sidewalk as two figures hunched, scurried from a just-parked vehicle. Before them was a shop, a sign blinking Open in the window, another reading _Supernatural Ink_ in bold letters above the door. Another figure, bracing itself against the relentless rain, flung itself from the shop and barreled toward another vehicle. The shorter of the two, yet visibly older, paid no heed to any as he flung the door open and ducked into the building. Sheltered at last from the rain, he uncurled into a still relatively short man, amber eyes scouring the store before turning to the man arriving at the desk. He took those final few steps and began to speak.

Behind him was a younger fellow, although one who was still visibly taller. He was well-kept save random tufts of raven hair poking this way and that. His counterpart, on the other hand, seemed to have picked the first things he had seen that morning, although that wouldn’t surprise the second in the least. That was, after all, his typical brother.

Curious, brilliant blue eyes scanned the walls, the tables, the chairs, the posters, the books, the magazines, and nearly every object and crevice in the store while the two chatted. It was most likely about the nature of their visit: a new tattoo for Gabriel. It was the day of the inking after hours of planning, of discussing, of designing, and he had been mercilessly dragged along. It was something about the artist being the illustrator of a comic series named Supernatural, one he had really only heard mentioned. Or, well, raved about by his overly enthusiastic brother. To be honest, though, he didn’t remember much of what it was about. Something with a set of brothers killing what “goes bump in the night”?

So, with a nudge and a subsequent pointed look from his brother, Castiel blinked back over to the two. First was Gabriel, hazel eyes teasingly chastising him for his wandering attention, and then a set of unfamiliar, yet startling, green orbs. If he were completely honest with himself, he would say that they were possibly more tantalizing and mesmerizing than anything else in this new world of tattoo shops.

When they shifted from his and back to his brother, the client, Castiel allowed himself a breath. It would be okay; he would remain calm and, as they say, “go with the flow”. So, with another and final breath, he followed the moving two toward a cluster of chairs and a mysterious machine. One that Castiel concluded to be the needle; it had to be. He could do this!

“Cassy!” was the voice that pulled the man once again from his curious reverie. So the mentioned man blinked at the source almost sheepishly.

“Yes, Gabriel?” he sounded, voice gruffer than he had originally intended. He would have to learn how to use it once again in this environment, not let the artwork that was once again tugging at his attention steal it.

“Pay attention when I’m talking to you! Sheesh! This is Dean Winchester, tattoo extraordinaire and the magic behind the pretty pictures in _Supernatural_ ,” he chirped with a bit too much excitement, gesturing wildly to the poor employee of the shop. Or, well, Castiel presumed him to be poor. Anyone having to deal with his brother in such a way would certainly deserve the title.

Castiel turned his eyes once again to the artist with a polite smile, extended his hand in that customary gesture. “It’s a pleasure,” he voiced once the hand was accepted. That very phrase would be mimicked in a voice that matched those eyes, a hand that matched his career as an artist, and a grip that would linger in his mind for time to come.

They would only meet that once, though, he was sure of it, so he allowed those thoughts into his mind, but not to dwell for long. Castiel may have zoned out yet again, because he had Gabriel nudging him into an adjacent chair. Dutifully, he sat, and allowed himself once again to be lulled by the sound of the needle and the humming of the worker’s voice, gaze soon fixed on those hands and that needle. With more time, the stencil lines would be darkened, would be colored, would be brought to life. No, it may not be animation, but it was the birth of a story. So perhaps he was enjoying the trip.

Once again he heard his name, although this time it was in passing. He brought his attention away from the singing of the needle and the melody of the voice and back toward the conversation, albeit reluctantly.

“Yes?”

A snort from his brother’s end was what he received in response. “You see? He’s so entranced by your witchcraft that he isn’t even listening! You’ve broken him!”

An amused chuckle came from Mr. Winchester, a shrug followed as he raised the needle for a moment. “I’d say he was broken before you brought him in here.”

“Witchcraft! Sorcery!”

“Hogwarts is a good school.”

Harry Potter. Castiel understood that one, although he had to restrain himself from blurting so. See? He was catching up on his “pop culture”!

“Psh, as if,” came out as a grumble, but then Gabriel winced in the slightest. “Hey! Be careful! I’m tender, you know! Anyway! So I was telling Dean-o here that you animate! There! Bond and stop staring at my leg!”

A laugh from Dean’s end, and Castiel gave him a puzzled look. He just received another shrug. “You have a handful of a brother, Castiel.”

“Hey! I can hear you, you know!”

“Yeah, yeah. Should I tell your brother about the last time you came in?” teased the Winchester as he dabbed at the tattoo with a cloth, a slight smile in place. “I could, you know.”

A fatigued “Dean! Your food will be in the fridge!” went unheard by the trio.

“You wouldn’t!” came a squeak from his ever-melodramatic brother, twisting for a better view of his tattooer. Castiel couldn’t help but note and be grateful that the man hadn’t restarted with the needle yet. “I am a paying, valued customer!”

“Maybe if you learn to hold still,” was the response on Mr. Winchester’s end as he sighed the tiniest bit. There was a bit more flopping from Gabriel along with murmuring, all for extra measure, until he finally settled once again. “Just like a child.”

“Paying customer!”

That was definitely his brother.

More bantering from Gabriel’s end was expected, and he did not fail Castiel in the slightest. Mr. Winchester, much to his surprise, was actually able to keep up and reciprocate. It may not be to the level of Balthazar, his brother’s fiancé, but it was certainly impressive. He even interjected in the conversations with a few words of his own, earning fond laughter from his brother (he earnestly didn’t understand what Mr. Winchester meant!) as well as amusement from the worker. When he wasn’t exactly tuned into the duo’s discussions, he was watching, spellbound by the tattooing process - at least the part he was able to witness.

By the end, Castiel was ecstatic with the work, with the new image embellishing his brother’s leg, and he was already mourning the end of a well-passed afternoon. The two were talking or, well, battling over something or another as he was nearly mindlessly dragged toward the cash register.

Then the man paused, pondering behind the cash register. “Here, let’s make a deal.”

Gabriel’s visage turned questioningly, tilted to the side in the slightest. “Oh?”

“I’ll let you have that tattoo free, but I want a date with your brother,” Mr. Winchester stated with nod over toward the man in question. Gabriel’s eyes followed it, landing on a pair of bewildered blue ones.

Those posed him with three issues: 1) he was unaware of how Mr. Winchester may have detected his sexuality, 2) he had little to no skill with the dating culture, and 3) he had to analyze the decision and his consequences thoroughly to be able to select the appropriate course of action.

Let us first discuss Mr. Winchester’s impeccable ability to sense sexuality and Castiel’s, as he preferred to call it, subtlety. He preferred to think of himself as clean with a hint of disorder and shagginess, which really came from his lack of routine when it came to grooming. Instead, he opted to spend his time with more pressing matters such as his work and maintaining his much beloved cat. On the other hand, it was likely he was letting stereotypical perceptions best him and stir his nerves.

Second, he had had only two partners in his life, neither of which lasted terribly long. He was unsure whether it pertained to his character, their bond, his naïvité, or if there was some unidentified spurious variable, but each failed.

The crux of his situation, however, was weighing the various options and choosing the most beneficial course of action. On the plus side, Dean seemed like a genuine and caring man, they shared a connection over art, and the man seemed to be fairly interested in him. On the flipside, things could end very badly, and that was terrifying by itself.

Castiel pursed his lips together, further picking apart the dilemma at hand. The con did not seem to be a very strong argument against agreeing, and the other counters he could summon were similar.

As he felt a conclusion materialize in his mind, he flicked his eyes over to his brother. The man, he could feel, was pressing him to say yes, the eagerness in him overtaking nearly everything else. The artist, on the other hand, were patient, waiting, curious.

Finally, after a moment of agonizing silence, another pro came to mind: his brother would owe him for getting him the free tattoo. “Okay, Mr. Winchester.”

A giant, brilliant, excited grin broke out on the man’s face. “Great! Call me Dean. Does Sunday at 8 work?”

“Yes! My brother’s going on a date with the illustrator of _Supernatural_!”

What did he get himself into?


End file.
